PTCL, SCO to explore collaborative opportunities for upscaling services nationwide, especially AJK, GB

Posted on by admin

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Special Communication Organization (SCO)at PTCL Headquarter Islamabad to explore potential collaborative opportunities for growth of telecom services across Pakistan, with special focus on AJK and GB.

The signing ceremony was attended by HatemBamatraf, President & GCEO, PTCL &Ufone and Major Gen Muhammad Shahid Siddeeq, DG SCO, along with senior officials from both organizations.

The MoU will facilitate multi-level cooperation between the leading telecom players to foster resource efficiency and growth of telecom services nationwide, especially in the remote mountainous regions of AJK and GB. The arrangement will facilitate passive network sharing and SCO’s backhaul support for the launch of PTCL’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service in AJK & GB through its 3500 MHz spectrum.

The telecom operators will offer their respective fiber assets for backup/redundancy to ensure uninterrupted high-quality services on a reciprocal basis and jointly build access networks in cantonments and other similar locations.

In addition, the companies will undertake multiple collaborative ventures including Multi-Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN), active elements sharing of cellular network, data national roaming and a range of other ICT solutions to increase their incremental revenues as well as deliver high-quality telecom services to their customers round the clock.

On the occasion, Hatem Bamatraf, President & GCEO, PTCL &Ufone, said, “We are excited to collaborate with SCO to expand our shared ambition of bringing superior telecommunication services to our customers.  Together, we will help bridge the digital divide in the country, especially in the remote regions to help unlock their full potential.”

On the occasion, Major Gen Muhammad Shahid Siddeeq, DG SCO said, “We are pleased to partner with PTCL for upscaling telecom services in AJK and GB, where SCO has played an instrumental in connecting the masses through high-quality internet and cellular services. Through our efforts, we hope to providean inclusive and equitable environment that will ensure progress and growth.”

PTCL being a national company,endeavors to contribute towards the economic development and prosperity of Pakistan.

Dubai Islamic Bank & TPL Life Takaful Signs MoU for Bancatakaful Distribution through Bank’s Touchpoints

Posted on by admin

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Dubai Islamic Bank and TPL Life Takaful signed a MoU whereby customers will be offered unique BancaTakaful plans that will be distributed through the Bank’s distribution channels & customer touchpoints such as Branches, Call Centre & Digital Channels.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Junaid Ahmed CEO, Dubai Islamic Bank and Mr. Ali Jameel CEO, TPL Corporation at a ceremony held at Dubai Islamic Bank’s Head Office in Karachi . The ceremony was to commemorate the partnership aimed at expanding BancaTakaful collaboration in the market. Both the entities will work cohesively to further explore other avenues of business.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Junaid Ahmed – CEO, Dubai Islamic Bank said that “Dubai Islamic Bank is at the forefront of offering innovative Shariah compliant products and services to cater to our customers needs. TPL Life Takaful will be an important addition to our existing product suite which will allow customers to go for Shariah compliant Life Takaful products. Being the World’s First Islamic Bank, we are investing in an ever-changing Digital environment where we are focusing on enhancing customer experience in shape of – Banking on the Go!”

Mr. Ali Jameel – CEO, TPL Corp said, “We are pleased to expand our 15 years-long business relationship with Dubai Islamic Bank through this new partnership. TPL Corp with its diverse portfolio continues to serve Dubai Islamic Bank’s customers with Innovative products and technological solutions. This signing will further enable consumers to access cutting-edge value propositions through the bank’s branches & Digital Channels.

Dubai Islamic Bank offers a wide range of Shariah compliant products through its 235 branches across 70 cities nationwide.  

TPL Life Insurance offers an extensive suite of life and health insurance solutions to address a range of segments including corporate, retail, micro-health, and e-commerce digital consumers. Its life, health insurance, and savings solutions ensure complete protection for customers giving them access to better healthcare, securing their dreams for the future, and providing a financial cushion for any unforeseen life event, accident, or illness. 

SAF-GCT charitable alliance gets massive support of Lahore’s business community to further its education drive for needy children

Posted on by admin

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The alliance between two leading non-profits of Pakistan to educate children of underprivileged communities was able to get massive support of leading businessmen and industrialists from Lahore for the schooling of at least 10,000 out-of-school children. The third joint fundraiser of Shahid Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) and Green Crescent Trust (GCT) was held here at a hotel as it was the first time the charitable joint venture between the two charities stepped outside Sindh to expand their drive to educate children of the backward areas of Pakistan.

The most appealing feature of the fundraiser was the participation by leading Pakistani sports and show business celebrities including Anwar Maqasood, Adnan Siddiqui, Shahid Afridi, Jahangir Khan, Ahmad Shahzad, and Shahbaz Senior. The memorabilia belonging to the sports celebrities were also auctioned on the occasion to raise money for the charitable cause. Leading names of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and other trade bodies of Lahore and the rest of Punjab attended the event. Total over 400 businessmen, industrialists, philanthropists of Lahore attended the fundraiser and announced donations for the joint SAF-GCT charitable drive. Akhuwat Founder, Dr Amjad Saqib, was one of the prominent guests of the event who personally announced Rs 2.5 million donations for the charitable school education campaign of the two non-profits.

Dr Saqib also announced to join hands with the SAF and GCT to further the drive to establish charitable schools for the deprived communities all across Pakistan. Students from backward areas of Tharparkar and Kashmore in Sindh presented welcome tableaus to thank the philanthropists and businessmen of Lahore for their participation in the cause to educate children of the underprivileged areas. Prominent writer Anwar Maqsood used his celebrated humourist style to have a dialogue with Shahid Afridi to highlight the need for generously donating for the cause to enrol out-of-school children for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi, who is also SAF Chairman, said that he owed much to Pakistan for the name and fame he earned as his non-profit had been working in the education sector as an effective mean to pay back to his motherland. He expressed gratitude to the leading businessmen and philanthropists for lending him fullest support to carry out a number of welfare activities under the aegis of SAF.

The SAF Chairman said that his non-profit had joined hands with the GCT in view of its years-long work to educate children of the backward areas, GCT CEO, Zahid Saeed, said the joint charitable campaign required the support of the concerned philanthropists from all over the country as the enrolment of millions of out-of-school children was a gigantic task. He said the non-profit GCT had been working in the education sector for the past 28 years as it had a network of 150 charitable schools with an enrolment of 29,000 students of the backward areas.

He said the GCT had been acting upon its Vision-2025 to enrol total of 100,000 out-of-school children by increasing the number of its charitable schools to 250. The two non-profits joined hands in 2018 to work together for the education of the children of the deprived communities. Both the charities have been jointly running eight schools having an enrollment of 3,000 students from the backward areas of Sindh.

The SAF and GCT have the aim to increase the number of their jointly managed charitable schools to 100 in the next five years for the children of the underprivileged areas. Other prominent participants of the fundraiser included SAF board member Uzair Sabur, GCT trustees Abrar Ahmed, Faizan Jawaid, and Saad Zia.

Atif Aslam, Aima Baig to sing PSL 2022 anthem

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Atif Aslam and Aima Baig will sing the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 anthem, which has been produced and composed by Abdullah Siddiqui. The anthem will be released next week through an event partner, a press release by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated. 

According to the statement, the theme of the song is inspirational and motivational with the lyrics and music aimed at uplifting the mood of the fans and the nation as the world is passing through tough and testing times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be the first time Aslam will sing the PCB’s marquee event song, while Aima had been featured in last year’s “Groove Mera,” which turned out to be a smashing hit.

Atif Aslam is an internationally-acclaimed Pakistan singer who has recorded numerous chart-topping songs for the local and international film industry. In 2008, he was bestowed with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (medial of distinction) by the government of Pakistan, while he has received over 50 other different awards from within and outside Pakistan.

Baig is one of the most popular female voices in Pakistan. In the past seven years, she has recorded a number of hits and has won local and international awards.

Speaking about the event, Abdullah said: “Getting to produce this anthem is a dream for any musician, and I’m very honoured and thankful to the PCB for the opportunity this year.”

“Both Atif Aslam and Aima Baig are undeniably the best and working with them has been a privilege. I’m very excited for fans to hear what we have come up with,” he added. 

The producer further said: “We have tried to produce a song that captures the spirit of the game in a meaningful way, while still being very fun and catchy.”

********

Ali Zafar and Gul Panra’s track ‘Larsha Pekhawar’ becomes most watched Pakistani song of 2021

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Pakistani renowned singers Ali Zafar and Gul Panra’s collaborative track ‘Larsha Pekhawar’ has garnered more than 52 million views on YouTube, making it the most watched Pakistani song of 2021.

‘Larsha Pekhawar’, the refreshing version of the classic Pashto song which released on September 22, trended number one on the video streaming website for around five weeks in Sept and October.

Celebrated singer Atif Aslam’s track “Rafta Rafta”, featuring actress Sajal Ali, has racked in over 41 million views to take the second spot on the video streaming platform. The video, released in July 2021, was filmed in Skardu.

Ali Zafar’s rendition of the iconic Naat ‘Balaghal Ula Be Kamalihi’ was the third most viewed video of 2021 with 32 million hits. The video shows the beautiful aerial view of the majestic Baadshahi Mosque.

While, Atif Aslam’s rendition of renowned kalaam ‘Mustafa Jaane Rehmat’ hit over 22 million views to stay at fourth on the list.

Young Stunners’ track ‘Why Not Meri Jaan’ also created quite the stir online it attracted more than 15 million views.

Farhan Saeed’s ‘Na Cher Malanga Nu’, Asim Azhar’s ‘Yaad’, Bilal Saeed’s ‘Mitti Da Khadona’ and Sahir Ali Bagga and Alizeh Shah’s ‘Badnamiyan’ were among the top ten Pakistani tracks released in 2021.

**************

PCB to give top 15 Pakistani players cash incentives today

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Core Pakistani cricketers will be honoured today by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with cash incentives and recognition for a year of splendid performance that won the hearts of millions of cricket fans around the world.

At a reception scheduled for today (Friday) evening, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja is expected to present a cash incentive of Rs1.5 million to each of the top 15 players who remained an integral part of the unit in all the three formats of the game throughout the year.

Two Test specialists Abid Ali and Sajjid Khan have also been invited apart from 18 players (three reserves) for their exceptional show in the longer version of the game.

“The reception to honour the top cricketers is meant to recognise the services of all those cricketers who have helped the team stand tall in almost all the formats of the game,” a PCB official said.

“Barring some brief hiccups, the team members have given exceptional performance throughout the year. Be it T20 World Cup performance, Test matches performance at home and abroad, the team has shown exceptional courage in all the departments of the game.”

“Beating South Africa at their own soil and later sweeping through Bangladesh in their own backyard were exceptional achievements that needed to be recognised,” the PCB official said.

Pakistan won 20 of 29 T20Is during the year which also saw them putting up some resolute show in the T20 World Cup. The team that looked unbeaten finally lost to Australia in the semi-finals but not before winning many hearts for the competitive element that was on display. Beating pre-tournament favourites India by ten wickets also stunned many.

Two of the core cricketers Harris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman will not be in a position to attend the reception due to their commitments in the Australian Big Bash League while Shadab Khan is expected to reach in time on Friday.

The reception that will only be attended by the PCB high-ups is meant to boost the morale of the team members ahead of the hectic season that also includes some important series and T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in October/November.

Pakistan will also host leading international outfits including Australia, England, New Zealand, and West Indies during the coming season.

It is expected that the top 15 players will be given around Rs1.5 million each as cash incentive while the rest of the five including three reserves and two Test specialists will also be awarded.

***********

Ajoka’s Nirvaan Nadeem bags Global Award.

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Theatre personality and head of Ajoka Institute of Performing Arts won the Global Film and Music Award 2021 for his contribution to theatre.

The US-based organisation announced the awards at a ceremony held in Virginia. The winners include Indian composer Anu Malik, singer Poornima, actor Shishir Sharma, Singer Sanchi Mukerji, director David Serero and composer Milind Shrivastav. The event was conducted by anchor Simran Ahuja.

The Festival Director Seema Sethi congratulated Nirvaan for his achievements in the field of theatre. Nirvaan in his acceptance message thanked GFMF committee for the award and for acknowledging the vibrancy Pakistani theatre.

Other award winners from Pakistan include filmmaker Shoaib Sultan (“ Darya Ke Us Paar”) and Nayab Faiza (theatre acting).

*********

SOC Outreach expands to SINDH with “Inheritance”

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

In order to educate women on their constitutional rights, multi-award winning production house SOC Films, under its community engagement platform, SOC Outreach, took their latest animation series, “Inheritance Rights of Women according to Pakistani Law”, across the province of Sindh.

To instill critical thinking in the next generation of Pakistanis, SOC Outreach conducted sessions in different colleges, and communities across Sindh screening animated films on the ‘Women’s right to access to property and inheritance’ according to the Pakistani law. 

“When you talk to Pakistani women no matter if they are living in an urban or rural area, the realization hits that a large number of them are unaware about their basic rights provided by the state. This lack of knowledge plays a major role in their unequal participation in the society. Our films aim to fill this information gap and educate them about their inheritance laws all across the country.” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

“In a society like Pakistan where women’s access to property and resources, and ability to earn and be financially independent is limited and challenging, an inherited property is one of the few women can acquire property, gain financial independence and escape cycles of violence.” said Javeria Kamran, Program Coordinator at The Legal Aid Society.

Understanding the need for improved legal awareness amongst women in Pakistan, the animated “Inheritance Rights of Women according to Pakistani Law” series, produced in collaboration with The Legal Aid Society [LAS] and National Commission on the Status of Women [NCSW], comprises of 9 animated films, shedding light on Women’s right to marital and legal property in Pakistan. The films are available in 8 regional languages.

For more information about SOC Films, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/socfilms https://www.instagram.com/soc_films/

*********

Tolerance For A Peaceful Pakistan

Posted on by admin

Maliha Baluch

Religious tolerance is imperative in creating modern, progressive and enlightened societies. It allows people with different faiths, beliefs and values to peacefully coexist with one another. It is the foundation of an inclusive and peaceful society.

In a country like Pakistan, where Muslims make up 96.2% of the population, according to the 2017 census, 3.8% Pakistani citizens belong to religious minority groups. Does that make them any less Pakistani?

Pakistan was built on the basis of religious freedom, equality and tolerance. One of the most popular sayings of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was “You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of State.” The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees fundamental rights equally to all citizens, including the freedom of belief, faith worship and association.

The constitution guarantees to observe freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice, granting minority groups the freedom to profess and practice their religions, manage religious institutions and develop their cultures. The right to religion has been enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, Article 19 A of the Constitution of Pakistan states “Every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice and propagate his religion.” This right allows every citizen in Pakistan, belonging to any religious denomination, the freedom to practice his/her religion and to establish, maintain and manage religious institutions. Additionally, Article 22 safeguards the rights of religious minorities in education institutions. According to Article 22, no individual attending any educational institution should be required to participate in ceremonies of receive religious instructions that do not relate to his/her own religion. This article also protects religious minorities from discrimination and mistreatment in educational institutions.

The Government of Pakistan has also taken monumental steps to promote religious tolerance and diversity in the country. For example, the Government opened the Kartarpur Corridor, allowing Sikh pilgrims from around the world to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, one of the holiest shrined in Sikhism. In another attempt to promote interfaith harmony, the Federal Minister for Railways launched the Lahore-Karachi Christmas Peace Pray Train in 2021 for all the citizens of Pakistan celebrating Christmas. There are also many nongovernmental campaigns dedicated to promoting tolerance, peace and equality in Pakistan. Mashal-e-Haq, for example, is a digital campaign raising awareness about the rights of marginalized and vulnerable groups in Pakistan. The campaign has managed to initiate a discourse on social media platforms about the importance of, and the need to, recognize social and individual responsibilities in creating a peaceful, united and tolerant society. The campaign educates its audiences on the freedoms that The Constitution of Pakistan has equally granted all citizens, encouraging the online (and offline) community to change individual behaviors and create an environment where these rights are easily accessible and enjoyed by all members of the society.

Individual role and behavior change in creating an inclusive and peaceful society is vital! As a society, we must reflect inward and understand the impact each one of us can have. As a society, we must instill values of equality, tolerance, acceptance and compassion amongst our generations and ourselves to progress as a peaceful and united country. There is something each one of us can do to promote tolerance, diversity and equality.

 

Ali Gul Pir and Azeemah Nakhoda are officially engaged.

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Renowned comedian and musician Ali Gul Pir got engaged to Azeemah Nakhoda in an intimate ceremony on Wednesday.

The engagement affair was attended by his close friends and family members. Pictures and videos from the ceremony have taken the internet by storm.

The humourist, who is known for making funny parody videos on social media, lefts everyone in awe as he went down on one knee and put a ring on his fiancée.

Clad in an ivory kurta pajama, Ali completed his look with a shawl, designed by Nomi Ansari. On the other hand, his fiance, Azeemah was dressed in a gorgeous icy blue outfit. She completed her look with minimal makeup.

Well, we have a piece of news for the fans, Ali is officially off the market, He recently got engaged with Azeemah Nakhoda in a ceremony attended by close family and friends.

Congratulations and wishes started to pour in for the artist. Actress Mansha Pasha also sent her warm wishes to Ali on getting engaged.

The Laal Kabootar famed actress, took to her Instagram Story and complimented Ali and his fiancée with sweet words. “So sad to have missed this but you guys look lovely,” she wrote.